Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

First Impressions Day 1: January 6, 2014

Words cannot express how excited I am that today, January 6, 2014, has finally arrived. I have been waiting and praying for months, because for some reason, I have had this good feeling that this will be an experience that will prepare me for my future. Charles A. Brown Elementary School is a Birmingham City School that embodies everything that I hope to one day be a part of. It is an inner-city school that proves to society that inner-city education can work. It all begins with the leadership of the principal and his faculty and staff and trickles down to the students who are both eager and willing to learn. Not only is the building beautiful on the outside, but there is a lot of beauty in the inside. Due to the below freezing temperatures school was delayed by two hours. I cannot say that I was disappointed to not have to stare the pre-dawn sky in the eyes when I woke up this morning. I arrived a little early because I was not too sure whether or not I would add to the inevitable chaos of a delayed school day. Mr. Steve Brown, the principal, greeted me and told me to wait until Mr. Smith arrived. The second I saw Mr. Smith, I knew that he was an educated man on a mission and that he knows his craft well. We walked into his classroom and he immediately began to enlighten me about the importance of allowing students to engage in autonomy in the classroom and some of the everyday struggles that special educators, and educators in general, face on a daily basis. Mr. Smith and his wife are very passionate about Constructivism and studentcentered education. He explained that they spent a few years teaching in Japan and quickly learned that everything they once thought was fact about the way students learn and develop was completely false. I must admit that when he first mounted his soapbox, I was a

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014 little concerned that he would completely wreck my way of thinking concerning

instruction. He believes in whole language instruction, which he explained was extremely successful in Japan while I have been told that it is pretty much the root of evil due to the negative affect it has on students abilities to spell. He believes that students should not really be graded, while although I agree to a certain extent, my peers and I have come to the conclusion that without grades, not only is there no accountability, but also there is no way to show students where they stand. After listening to him in between showing students how to create graphs on the Promethean Board, exploring www.abcya.com, and running to pull students from their classrooms, I begin to follow his alternative train of thought. When students and teachers are truly given the space to take ownership for what occurs in the classroom, learning becomes more natural and impactful. Mr. Smith is really passionate about teaching students in a way that will stick much longer than the drilldriven instruction style of directive instruction. He believes that the power lies within the students tongues rather than the teachers. I agree. I have watched, and have taught, numerous unsuccessful lessons that only involved lecturing, skill drilling, and the talking head teacher. The students simply sit in their seats, blindly watch the teacher draw symbols, letters, and numbers on the board, and only memorize information long enough to pass the test. Mr. Smith challenged and questioned his students. He would step back and let the students figure things out on their own while constantly thinking, Okay, where are they going with this. This prevented him from interrupting their thinking process in order to allow them to find their own mistakes without his assistance. At first, it was so hard having to sit back and watch the students fail miserably at their spelling of simple words,

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

skip counting, and graphing, but I now see that students need to be autonomous in order to truly learn. I cannot wait to continue learning, myself, from Mr. Smith.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

Priorities Day 2: January 7, 2014

Today was another great day at Charles A. Brown Elementary School. Yet again, school was delayed two hours, at least for the students, but the faculty and staff had to arrive at the normal time of 8:00 at all Birmingham City Schools. Last night, I had to make the hard decision between choosing to sleep in and come in at 10:00 along with the students and arriving at the same early time that the teachers had to arrive. Although this may seem like a simple decision to some, it seemed like a pivotal moment for me. It defined the line that separated me from still being considered a student from being considered a professional adult. I finally decided to arrive fifteen minutes before 8:00. I am glad that I did, because I was able to attend a staff meeting and was asked by Mr. Brown to introduce myself to his staff. During one of my many deep conversations with Mr. Smith about the world of special education, he brought up something that really stuck with me: priorities. He explained that as a special educator, I will be expected to keep up with an immense amount of paperwork along with providing specialized instruction for my students. It is very easy to get bogged down trying to stay on top of the paperwork and mastering the maze of SETS-STI. Although I must maintain every aspect of my job, I must not lose sight of what is important: my students. When I become a special educator, I am going to try to find ways to be both efficient and effective. I believe that the best way to do this is to stay organized by creating checklists, having an effective filing system, keeping an up to date planner, and collaborating well with fellow teachers and parents. By doing all of this, I will be able to stay on top of my paperwork so that I can focus on my main priority: my students.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

Along with discussing this, I was able to sit in on a spontaneous parent conference. The parent seemed to be very fond of Mr. Smith and very involved in her childs educational success. Mr. Smith is very big on collaboration and not carrying the me against them mentality when it comes to parents. Parents should be a teachers ally, not her enemy. If they both have their priorities in order, both of their main focuses should be the child. So, it should be easy to find solutions to issues that are occurring in the childs life. It was great to see how easy a parent-teacher conference can be. Mr. Smith was prepared, friendly, and professional all at the same time. Although I know that he had sessions that he should have been attending, he did not rush the parent. I hope that I will be the type of teacher that all of my students parents will feel comfortable enough to share their concerns and questions with. I also hope that I do not lose sight of what is truly important so that I will be able to keep a level head. I know that there will be a lot to learn in the future, but I am ready to continue to learn while I am at Charles A. Brown Elementary School.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

Camouflage Day 3: January 8, 2014

I am still learning so much throughout my time at Charles A. Brown Elementary School. There was one particular incident today that really made me think about how important the concepts of camouflage and mutual respect between the students and the teacher are in the classroom. There is one student in particular who has really struck my interest. He seems to really have a close relationship with Mr. Smith, but also, he seems to get easily frustrated and easily discouraged when faced with a challenging task or a challenging situation within the classroom. It has been brought to my attention that this student struggles with his grades but has improved immensely since the beginning of the school year. Unfortunately, his behavior, which had also improved, has gotten increasingly worse since school started on Monday. Today, his teacher approached Mr. Smith and asked him to call his mother because he was being disruptive and very disrespectful. While walking upstairs to his classroom, Mr. Smith explained that although this student struggles with finding a common ground with his classroom teacher and her aide, he does not show these challenging behaviors when he is with him or while he is actively engaged in an activity. When we walked into his classroom at the end of the day, his teacher and her aide seemed to be at her wits end. She vaguely explained how disruptive and disrespectful he had been, which resulted in him denying everything that had happened. Mr. Smith calmly asked him to pack up his things and we took him to Mr. Smiths classroom to cool down and debrief. The student explained that the aide had jumped into a situation, which had pretty much already been resolved, between him and his teacher and reprimanded him and also said something rude to him

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

about his hair and his sweatshirt, which had absolutely nothing to do with the situation, which resulted in him saying, Oh yeah? Well, your head is bigger than your shoulders! Mr. Smith had him call his mother and explain everything to her, and Mr. Smith also talked to the mother. I feel as though the whole situation could have been avoided had the aide simply minded her own business and let the student and his teacher handle the situation and if the aide had properly used the camouflage technique that we learned about last semester. Towards the end of last semester, Dr. Tarsha Bluiett, one of my favorite professors, discussed two people who are famous in the world of education, particularly in the area of classroom management: Harry Wong and Fred Jones. Harry Wong is well known for his informational book, the First Days of School. Throughout this book, Harry Wong enforces the importance of solidifying the explicit and implicit rules of the classroom throughout the first few weeks of school. He explains that if a teacher does not spend the first few weeks solidifying these rules within the minds of his or her students, it will be next to impossible for the teacher to regain order and to provide students with an effective form of instruction. Fred Jones, the author of one of my favorite classroom management books, Tools for Teaching, described that if teachers would address a disruptive student in a subtler and almost invisible way, the students will less likely turn on you. Kids, just like adults, do not like to be embarrassed. If the teachers aide did say what this student claims she said, she was in the wrong. This student is not a bad kid. I personally feel as though he simply wants to be respected, but his bad reputation proceeds him into every situation. He needs to learn some coping strategies; the teachers aide needs to learn how to not stoop to a students level when reprimanding him or her.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

Technology Integration Day 4: January 9, 2014

Today, Charles A. Brown Elementary School received the Nooks that will be distributed to all of the teachers and all of the students. The each of the grade level teachers and the gifted and special education teachers at the school had professional development today in order to learn how to properly handle and use the Nooks in their classrooms. The Barnes and Noble representative who lead the professional development session was a Samford University graduate and a former teacher of the school that I will be doing my first student teaching session at. Although I am sure that the teachers are still a little shaky on their Nook-using abilities, I am sure that after a while, the Nooks will help Charles A. Brown Elementary School become a technology integrated elementary school. I hope that I can find some apps for Mr. Smith to use in his resource room for each of his students. He mentioned finding some apps that will help his students stay organized, such as planners or homework organizers, and some reading and math applications. He has already integrated the Promethean Board very well into his classroom. He has the students creating graphs to keep track of each days temperature. By doing this, the students must surf the Internet in order to find the exact temperature on the computer, and then, by using ActivInspire, they must create the graph on the Promethean Board. At first, the students really struggled with figuring out where to even start concerning designing their graphs, figuring out a title, and figuring out what keywords to type into the search engine on Google to find the hourly weather forecast. Mr. Smith is really big on giving students enough wait time as they learn something new or as they practice skills in his classroom. I kept wanting

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

to tell them exactly what to do, but I decided to be like him and only interject if I felt that they were honestly stumped or were headed in the wrong direction. It only took a fraction of the time today to get the days temperature charted on the students graphs. I suppose learning new technology for students is just as complicated as it is for adults, in some cases. It was very interesting to watch the older teachers struggle with executing simple functions on the Nooks. The oldest teacher on the staff, Mrs. Smith, is retiring this year. She has been working at Charles A. Brown Elementary School for twenty-two years. Although everyone seemed to struggle with one or two of the functions, she seemed to struggle with them all. Technology integration is not easy for every teacher, especially teachers who are so used to using pencils and paper for every task in the classroom. Education is moving in a totally new direction, and even I, a twenty-two year old, struggle with becoming completely used to using technology and finding ways to integrate it into my every day routine in the classroom. There is one thing that I know, I, like Mrs. Smith and all of the other teachers at Charles A. Brown Elementary School, will have to simply learn through playing. Before today, I was constantly wondering why Mr. Smiths walls were so bare. I kept wondering why he did not have any counting or alphabet posters or any bulletin boards. Today, without me even asking, he answered my question. He explained that he has become so dependent upon technology that he has not even had any use for the anchor charts like he used to. He is not proud of this, though. So, we sat down today and started brainstorming ideas of how we can create a job chart and a dry-erase calendar for the students. Although technology is a wonderful tool to have within the classroom, teachers should not completely abandon some of the great things of the past, such as anchor charts, posters, and calendar time calendars. Everything has its place.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

10

Spelling Bees and Flexibility Day 5: January 10, 2014

It was almost as if I could hear Dr. Hoaglund and Mrs. Birkenfeld whispering, Teachers must learn to be flexible, into my ear when Mrs. Parsley, the Reading Coach, raced into Mr. Smiths classroom today in order to ask him if he could lead the spelling bee. Due to the fact that this was testing benchmark testing week, Mrs. Parsley had been working double and overtime in the computer lab giving students their tests. Earlier this week, she had asked Mrs. Cottingham, the Speech Pathologist, if she could do the task for her. Unfortunately, Mrs. Cottinghams son was sick today, so she was unable to do it. The job got passed around until it fell upon Mr. Smith, who also could not carry out the task due to his abundance of paperwork that he had to complete today. So, he volunteered me. At first, I was completely nervous, due to my lazy tongue, but then I said a quick prayer and made my way to the library. I knew that this would be a great opportunity to practice being flexible. As I entered the library, I helped Mrs. Smith and a few other teachers set up the library. All of the teachers on the spelling bee committee were quick to tell me to get used to having things dropped into my lap as a teacher. Mrs. Smith chuckled and said, Never expect things to go as planned. Just be ready to do anything you have to do. The rest of the teachers grunted and agreed and shared their own personal experiences and frustrations. The librarian explained that she taught kindergarten for seven years and then had to quit. She jokingly said, I had to get up out of there! I just knew that I was going to kill somebody! We all laughed and greeted the students as they entered the room. Finally, around 10:20, all of the contestants found their seats, and Mrs. Smith introduced the rest of

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

11

the spelling bee committee and myself. I must say, it went really well, and I am so glad that God drop this opportunity into my lap! After today, and honestly, after every day this week, I learned just how unpredictable the life of a teacher can be. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the teachers had to arrive at 8:00, even though the students did not have to arrive until 10:00. Not only did they have to arrive two hours earlier than their students, but also they had to figure out what to do with their own children. Along with dealing with the below freezing temperatures and a heating system that decided to not work, they also had the SACS accreditation team critique their school. Not only did they have to go through the whole accreditation process, but also they had to administer benchmark tests and conduct a spelling bee without their designated word reader. The constant additional projects do not stop there; next week is Space Week. The teachers were frantically trying to put up spacethemed decorations in their classrooms in order to prepare for next weeks festivities. The men and women of Charles A. Brown Elementary School really seem to work well under pressure. I hope to one day be a part of a team like them. They have young teachers, old teachers, black teachers, white teachers, male teachers, female teachers, structured teachers, and liberal teachers. The diversity of the staff at Charles A. Brown Elementary School really creates a great learning atmosphere for its students and me, a pre-student teacher. I cannot wait to see what all is in store for next week at this school. I have really begun to find my place there. I was even given a rose made from a napkin from one of my students!

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

12

Space Week Dj Vu Day 6: January 13, 2014

When I walked into Charles A. Brown Elementary School this morning, I began to feel a little bit of dj vu. There were space themed decorations everywhere which triggered many memories of Spring 2013, when I was frantically running around trying to coordinate Space Day and Space Week for Trace Crossings Elementary School, last year. Ms. House, a Miles College student who is also graduating this Spring, is no stranger to space themed festivities. She actually volunteers as a Space Camp counselor at the Space and Rocket Center. She was suited up and ready to go when she excitedly burst into Mr. Smiths classroom this morning. She came in an said, Im going to need you two to go on a put your suits on, because as soon as the announcements are over, we are going to distribute the packets to all of the teachers. I had actually made my very own Space Week t-shirt, and I must say, it turned out very well. A bottle of Elmers Glue, a black t-shirt, and a bottle of silver glitter can create a out of this world t-shirt. I even bought some cute alien antennas to wear. I am so excited to see what all I will get to learn and do this week. I got placed in the very station I wanted to be placed in: The Mars Colony Station. This will take place in one of the empty classrooms on the first floor, and I will explain how things work in Mars and will even get to help some students create their own Crew Exploration Vehicles with the fourth and fifth graders on Friday. One thing that I will not like about having to work Space Week the full week is that Mr. Smith and I will not get to pull any of his students for the rest of the week. We both got drafted into helping to conduct the different sessions and stations throughout the week. It makes me wonder how

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014 far behind these students will fall after this week. Fortunately, Mr. Smith is a very intentional instructor, so I am sure that they will be fine.

13

Ms. House and I got to spend a lot of time in Mr. Browns office today working on the Space Week packets for the different stations. One thing that I learned is that the teacher workroom is a very busy and slightly chaotic place, and that paper is as priceless as gold in elementary schools. The schools secretary did not seem too excited about letting go of her reams of paper when I asked for one, today. After about an hour or so, I finally finished creating the packets. Fortunately, due to the fact that I had to spend so much time putting the finishing touches on the packets in Mr. Browns office, I finally got to talk with him oneon-one. It is so hard to find the balance between showing what you know to a person who could potentially be your boss and coming across as a show-off. It seemed as though Ms. House was dominating the conversations about Space Week since she is so familiar with it, so I did not know how to pitch in my two cents without sounding as though I were trying to one-up her. So, I sat back and said a silent prayer when I left for lunch. God told me that everything is happening the way He wanted it to and that I should relax. When I came back, I finally found my window of opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas while she was working on some task she was delegated. I was able to discuss some great apps and Internet resources that I knew would improve Brown Elementary Schools initiative to become a tech-savvy school. Mr. Brown was able to show me his blog, and he even asked me to present the Educreations application during the grade level meetings on Thursday. He also shared some personal stories with me about being a leader and a principal and even asked me to join one of his organizations for educators of African American students! It will take place tomorrow at 2:00. It is amazing what a prayer can do.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

14

Inductions and Improvisations Day 7: January 14, 2014

I must say that Charles A. Brown Elementary School is a great learning school for future educators. The staff is exceedingly open to newcomers, the principal, Mr. Brown, is eager to receive fresh ideas from young, fresh new minds, and the kids are real in every shape, form, and fashion. I have learned so much during my seven days at this elementary school, and I do not know how I will be able to transition when it is time for me to start my first student teaching placement. Yesterday, Mr. Brown invited me to join NABSE, the National Alliance of Black School Educators. When he asked me to join, I had no idea that he actually had plans to induct me during the meeting, today. When he pulled me from my science station that I am responsible for this week, I quickly changed out of my space suit and collected my thoughts for the meeting. When I arrived, an elderly gentleman, Reverend Carter, was the only one in the room. So, I put on my Samford Ambassador hat, which is really my ability to carry on meaningful conversations with old people, and introduced myself. He began to tell me that he too has attended Samford University in order to take a technology class, along with four other universities. Although he is not an educator, he told me that he is highly interested in the field of education and finding ways to give African American students hope through education. During the meeting, Mr. Brown and the rest of the members, Mr. Smith, Reverend Carter, and Mrs. Price, voted to induct me as a member. I must say, I feel as though I might be a great asset to this team. We came up with a ton of great ideas, and I even got to give a quick, impromptu preview of my favorite app: Educreations. I cannot wait to see what all will come from joining this organization.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

15

Today was the first day of Space Week, and I had a blast...no pun intended. When I arrived, I put on Mr. Smiths blue jumpsuit from Japan since I did not have a space suit, and headed to Mr. Browns office. When I arrived, Mr. Brown gave us our designated coloring sheets and worksheets and sent us on our way. I entered my Mars Colony room to find Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Perry setting up the room. I was shocked to find out that they had no idea what exactly to do, and I also did not want to completely trash everything that they had planned and do what Mr. Brown gave me to do. Of course, during the middle of one of Mrs. Perrys videos, the sound went out. That is why it is not good to completely rely on technology. So, we improvised and had the kids color the packets that Mr. Brown had printed off for them. I sat back during the first two sessions and saw what they had planned and then once they left to return to their classrooms, I decided to mix some of their ideas with Mr. Browns plans and came up with a really fun session for the kids. After Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Perry returned to their classrooms, I took everything and made it into my own. I decided to use the Promethean Board to create a flipchart with the Mars Colony Mission on it, which was basically just an agenda of the plans for my station. I included the Promethean flipchart on Mars that Mrs. Perry brought in, I created a song about the nine planets, I included the interactive bulletin board on the planets, and I also included the coloring packet that Mr. Brown gave me. Along with all of these things, I even found a way to incorporate the first graders space suits into the lesson. Today, I learned the importance of taking the resources that you are given and putting your own twist on them. Yes, as teachers we are given standards, mandates, and benchmarks, but it is up to us to make the most of it. The kids had a blast, and so did I!

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

16

Dont Stop Till You Get It All Done! Day 8: January 15, 2014
Whoever thinks that teaching is an easy profession has obviously never been a teacher before. It always cracks me up to see substitutes or parents who are stepping in for their childs teacher strive to gain control of the class while maintaining somewhat of a composed demeanor. Teaching is HARD. Although it is hard, it is an immense amount of fun and it is exceedingly rewarding. I have had so much fun getting to know the students at Charles A. Brown Elementary School through conducting the Spelling Bee, working with Mr. Smith, and being a station leader for Space Week. I even feel as though I have my own classroom since I am stationed in an empty classroom on the first floor. I am able to store all of my worksheets on this bookshelf, leave the classroom set up for the next day, prepare my flipcharts for the following day or sessions activities, and I am able to take the liberty to teach the way that I want to without feeling as though my pedagogy is being judged by a cooperating teacher. The kids, and even the teachers, were so interested and excited about coming to my Mars Colony, today, and it filled my heart with joy. One teachers class missed their time slot yesterday and asked me if they could come today. I really feel as though I am a part of the staff at Charles A. Brown Elementary School, especially since I feel just as busy as the teachers who are getting paid. I have learned this week just how fast paced a teachers day is. There is always something to work on, and there is always some lesson or activity that needs tweaking or revising. I have had to readjust each grade levels version of my station this week, and it has taught me so much about differentiation and teacher autonomy. Although I was given guidelines by Mr. Brown concerning what should be discussed in my station, I quickly

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

17

realized that it was not going to be developmentally appropriate for every grade level. Today, I taught the second and third grades. I taught the students the names of all of the planets by using Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Perrys interactive bulletin board with Velcro labels, I showed them this awesome YouTube video I found about Mars, I read them a short informational selection about Mars, and then we completed the Load the Shuttle activity that Mr. Brown had planned for them to complete. They loved it! Tomorrow will be my fourth and fifth grade day, so I spent my free periods paraphrasing this passage that Mr. Brown wanted them to read so that they would not be bored out of their minds, creating a flipchart with pictures of Crew Exploration Vehicles, and finding a video about different space CEVs. I cannot wait to see how it goes tomorrow since I have been working with such young students. A teachers day begins early and ends late. I feel as though I have so much to do and so little time to complete it, but you cannot stop until you have it all done! I am now beginning to see why teachers are so stressed out. You have to spend every day preparing for the day or even days ahead, and if you take too many days, or even minutes, off you will fall behind. Tonight I need to create my handout for the Educreations professional development that I will be conducting tomorrow. I will give a step-by-step explanation of how to create an account and how to create a podcast, and I will also show the teachers how they can share the podcasts with their students and other teachers. I really feel as though this app will really help Charles A. Brown Elementary School with their One-To-One Technology Initiative. This app allows teachers to share information through the use of writing and pictures while recording their voice as they explain the material. Students will be able to access these podcasts anywhere that has Internet connection. It can even be a

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

18

great way for teachers to give parents resources to use while helping their children with their homework. I am so glad that Amy reminded me of this app after Dr. Haralson showed it to us.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

19

How Do They Do It?!? Day 9: January 16, 2014

Today I feel as though I have experienced that feeling of complete exhaustion that many teachers speak of. My feet hurt, my back hurts, my voice is gone, and I could barely keep my eyes open while driving home from work. Workwow, I cannot believe that I just said that without thinking twice about it. I really do feel as though this is a job. I pretty much have my own classroom, I have taught every student in the whole entire school, and now, almost all of the students know my name. With that being said, I am exhausted, but I absolutely love it. While rushing to empty my makeshift trashcan, a Target bag, in between Mars Colony sessions, I overheard one of the teachers, Mrs. Glover, telling one of the teachers aides that if she does not leave her house by 6:35 A.M., she will be late. She also went on to explain that she and her husband have to get up at 4:15 A.M. in order to get ready for the day. I now see why so many teachers are exhausted by 3:15. Mrs. Glover is not the first teacher to tell me that she gets up at 4:00 A.M. One of my cooperating teachers at Fultondale Elementary School explained that she has to get up at 4:00, in order to ensure that her son has lunch and breakfast for the day, has clothes to wear to school, and to ensure that she has everything prepared for the school day. If people in other professions were aware of this fact, they would not complain about the fact that teachers work days end at 3:30. I honestly feel as though people outside of the teaching profession would have much more respect for the profession if they just spent a whole week doing it. I do not know how teachers do it, but I am going to have to learn.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

20

Today, I had to carry out my Space Week duties for the fourth and fifth grades. Surprisingly, gaining the attention of the kindergarteners was one hundred times easier than gaining the attention of some of the fourth and fifth graders that I worked with, today. Fortunately, they had a blast in my station, and one little boy came back to my room and said, We had a really good time today! Thank you! They created some amazing space shuttles out of the recyclable items I collected over the week. I am so glad that I collected them on my own, because Mr. Brown said that he had some, but when I asked he did not. I had more than one teacher come up to me today and tell me that they thoroughly enjoyed my lessons. In fact, one of the teachers asked me to do it again tomorrow for her sons preschool class. One of the fifth grade teachers, Mrs. White, pulled me aside and asked me if I had already started putting in my applications in different schools. She expressed that her daughter used to work in a Bessemer school and that if I put in an application she would write my letter of recommendation. God has been so good to me during this placement. I cannot express how blessed I feel. Right when I feel tired or distressed, he sends in someone to brighten up my day and reassure me. After one of my fifth grade sessions, I was left with a room that was in a state far from clean. I was trying to clean up after the students, which seemed like an insurmountable task, and in walked some first graders. They saw me walking around picking up all of the scraps of paper and supplies and got down on the floor and started helping me. It was one of those moments that I realized that I am going to love being a teacher. Those kids simply did it out of the goodness of their hearts, not knowing that I was holding back tears while they helped me. Angels come in many forms.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

21

The End of Week Two Day 10: January 17, 2014

I cannot believe that it is the end of my second week at Charles A. Brown Elementary School. I cannot thank God enough for all of the opportunities that I have been exposed to, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for my last few days. It is hard for me to come up with something to write about, so I guess I will dedicate this journal entry to some of my areas of concern about becoming a teacher next year. Time sure has flown. It seems like it were just yesterday that I changed my major from biology to ESEC, and here I am staring my last semester of college in the face. Where has the time gone? I look at how young and little my students are, and I cannot believe that I was them at one point in my life. The things that I was so concerned about back in those days are so frivolous to me, now. They all seem so young, so frail, so innocent, and so nave, all at the same time. Some of them put on these tough exteriors, but I can see right through them. For example, there is this little boy in the fifth grade that stays in trouble with his teacher and his paraprofessional. They are constantly butting heads, and he is constantly causing a stir in the classroom. Today at lunch, I noticed that he was not eating. I asked him, Why arent you eating? He pointed at his friend, who is really more like a brother to him, and said, I wasnt hungry, so I gave mine away to him. I noticed him staring at my Cheez Its, which honestly, I had been looking forward to devouring all day long, and I said, Would you like some of my Cheez Its? His eyes grew and he nodded his head. I gave them to him, and at that very moment, I saw something inside of this trouble maker that I believe others are overlooking. Yes, I am aware that he fabricates stories in his favor, but there is something so sweet in this boy, and I have seen how well he interacts with Mr. Smith, so I know that

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

22

he can be respectful when he feels as though he is being respected. Yesterday, I heard one of his peers say rudely say something to him about him being in Special Education. It took everything in me to not jump down that kids throat, but I realized that Student Z knows how to defend himself. I hope that when I become a teacher and become so bogged down with paper work, standards, and deadlines that I do not lose my ability to see children for who they really are. Another thing that I am a little worried about it learning how to balance being an exceedingly effective and efficient instructor and having a life outside of my classroom. I know so many teachers who feel as though they do not have time to spend with their own children because they are spending so much time with other peoples children. I do not want to be one of those teachers. Teaching can consume your whole entire life, just like any other profession that is taken seriously. Not only are we teachers, but also we are mothers, grandmothers, fathers, friends, counselors, nurses, disciplinarians, encouragers, and so many other things. There is a lot that I will have to juggle in the future, and I just pray that I am able to manage it all. I remember Dr. Hilsmier telling us one day in class that she and her husband had to set up boundaries for the weekends so that they could actually spend time with each other. She explained that they made a pact to set aside email and paperwork for a large portion of the weekend so that they could actually enjoy their lives and each other. I am already exceedingly busy during this placement, so I can only imagine how busy I will be this time next year. I must remember that I can only do so much and that I absolutely have to set aside time for me and the people I love. I will have to take spontaneous weekend trips with Emmanuel, go out to eat with my friends and sister, spend

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

23

the night watching a movie with a bowl of ice cream. I will have to remember that having a life outside of school is both healthy and necessary. All work with no play is no good.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

24

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: NO SCHOOL Day 11: January 20, 2014

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

25

Resource Room Respites Day 12: January 21, 2014

One thing that I have found rather interesting while observing at Charles A. Brown Elementary School is how the students view Mr. Smiths resource room as a respite from their classrooms. I have lost count of the number of times that I have heard students who are not on Mr. Smiths caseload, or who let alone even need special education services, beg Mr. Smith to let them come to his room. I have also lost count of the number of times that I have heard Mr. Smiths students beg him to come get them as he walks down the hallway to pick up his other students. Mr. Smith, who might come across as an educational hippie to outsiders, truly has developed a wonderful student-teacher relationship and an effective system of mutual respect. Some of the students that Mr. Smith and I work with throughout the day seem as though they have been craving time away from their classrooms by the time he comes to get them. Their teachers also seem exceedingly excited to see Mr. Smith when we come to get his groups of students. It amazes me how well behaved the students are in his resource classroom compared to how they act in their general education classrooms throughout the day. A teacher can call Mr. Smith to her classroom and give him a long laundry list of complaints about a certain student and the moment they step foot in Mr. Smiths resource room, it is as if they are a completely different student. It is obvious that students are responsive to their environments, and they respond to adults according to how the adults respond to them. One student who particularly comes to mind is Student Z. His teacher is constantly complaining about how disrespectful, uncooperative, and unproductive he is. Every time I

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

26

hear her complain, it seems as if they are butting heads harder and harder. She is honestly trying to make him and a few of his buddies cooperate so that they can learn, but I can tell that she is getting more and more stressed out as time progresses. Student Z animosity towards his teacher seems to be growing more and more, and it also seems as though he is falling further and further behind in class due to the number of times that his teacher sends him out in the hallway or has to stop her instruction in order to reprimand him or one of his peers. I can only imagine the thoughts that go through his teachers mind. I am sure that she wishes that she had a better relationship with this student, but honestly, I do not know if it can be prepared. I hope that my students view my classroom like they view Mr. Smiths classroom. They always seem as though they can unapologetically be themselves in his classroom without being overly reprimanded for it. Yes, the kids can sometimes get a little out of hand in his classroom, and there have also been times when I feel as though he should pull the reins a little tighter during instruction, but he knows what he is doing. Honestly, I think that he knows something that every teacher should know: Sometimes, you just have to give kids a little freedom in order to gain the respect that is necessary in a classroom. My professional learning community researched student autonomy this last semester and realized that the more independence and freedom students have in the classroom, the more likely they are to be productive and retain more information. There is a balance between freedom and control that teachers must find in order to have a well established equilibrium in their classroom management systems. I hope that I can find this balance. I will keep Mr. Smith in mind as I search for it.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

27

Jitters and Deadlines Day 13: January 22, 2014

Today I noticed one thing that I know I will have to deal with a lot while teaching students with specials needs: short attention spans. The amount of redirection that students who have special needs require is something that should be acknowledged and addressed by both general and special educators. One must know how to handle some of their short attention spans if he or she wants to be able to provide them with effective instruction. Teachers must provide students with enough structure, redirection, and engaging assignments if an adequate amount of instruction is to be presented. It is hard to discern whether to continue to redirect the student or to change how your format of instruction. I noticed this issue while working with my third grade group today. One of the students, who expressed that today was her last day due to the fact that she was moving to Homewood, was constantly asking off topic questions, talking in an inappropriate volume, and constantly bouncing around the room. It was really hard to keep her on topic throughout the lesson, which really made me want to continue to observe the issue of attention spans for the rest of the day. I did notice, however, that while she was actively engaged in her classroom duty, counting and collecting the pencils in Mr. Smiths classroom. The second that she finished with her duty was the last second that she was attentive. This sparked a thought: as long as this student felt a sense of responsibility, she was focused. Teachers really need to pick up on things that interest students and find a way

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

28

to incorporate this into duties for them to tend to during class. They also need to be creative and find ways to incorporate that duty into their lessons. Another student who seemed to struggle with staying on task today was a fifth grade student that I have had the wonderful opportunity of working with. This student, like Student Z, gives Mrs. White a really hard time. He is constantly disrupting his peers by talking or tending to the business of others, and he also struggles with staying focused long enough to complete an assignment. After lunch, Mr. Smith and I pulled him from his class in order to help him complete a few assignments. I worked with him while Mr. Smith worked with Student Z. As long as Student Z was in the classroom, Student J struggled to stay on task. It was next to impossible for me to keep him focused on the math assignment, which was rather difficult if I may add. He was constantly talking to him or looking at what he was doing on his Nook instead of working on his math assignment. I would literally have to say his name two or three times to get him to complete the next step on his assignment. However, the moment that Student Z left the class and only the two of us were in the classroom, he was able to focus long enough to finish his work. I could not help but wonder if it would be better for his teacher to allow him to work in a secluded area once assignments were given. This student needs as few distractions as possible in order to complete assignments. I also noticed how far behind he was, and that really bothered me. By now, he should know his addition, subtraction, and times tables by heart. He struggled to quickly add one to six. The more times he is kicked out of the classroom without having an aide or somebody work on his assignments with him, the further behind he will be. Something has to be done for this student or else he will be repeating the fifth grade. Hopefully, they will put him in Mr. Robertsons class in order to give Mrs. White a break.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

29

Games and Graphs Galore! Day 14: January 23, 2014

It is rather intriguing to mentally compare all of the different special education teachers I have observed throughout my time at Samford University. I have observed super strict teachers who follow the Behaviorist Theory to a tee, I have observed exceedingly productive teachers who manage to squeeze an immense amount of hard work out of their students that should be marveled by even the most seasoned special education teacher, and I have observed some teachers who seem to be at their wits end who are in need of a break or some Xanax. Each teacher has been so different, yet I have learned so much from each teacher on what to do and what not to do in the future. Today, I began to realize one thing that I do not particularly like about Mr. Smiths form of instruction. Mr. Smith is a huge advocate for whole language instruction and student autonomy in the classroom. He spent some time teaching in Japan and quickly realized just how off his style of teaching was compared to their approach that involves math games, whole language instruction, and an immense amount of student choice. Although I see what he is striving to do, while working one-on-one with some students I noticed just how far behind they are in the area of math and how they need some intense intervention and at least a little bit of direct instruction. The whole time that I have been observing Mr. Smiths classroom, I have not seen one intervention style lesson. The students have simply been creating temperature graphs on which they look up the days temperature online and chart it on a bar graph. After they complete this task, which usually takes up the whole service time, they usually play some sort of a game. I am a huge advocate for educational games due to the fact that they teach students cooperation and collaborative skills and that fundamental academic skills are

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

30

embedded within them, but I do, however, feel as though there should be time within a service session for direct instruction that focuses on what the students are focusing on in class. A lot of the students on Mr. Smiths caseload do have very prominent social needs that must be addressed in order to even begin to focus on the academic needs, but I worked with a fifth grader who barely knew how to add digits smaller than ten. That really worries me. What is he going to do when he goes to junior high school next year and is in a math classroom completely lost on day one? Algebra is a beast, and if these students do not know how to quickly add or subtract, they are going to drown! When asked to subtract nineteen from twenty-seven, the student looked at me and said, I dont know how to do that! Now Im going to have to draw twenty-seven lines so I can cross off nineteen of them! I tried to not show how worried I was that he was still using that method on such simple problems, but honestly, it worried me A LOT!! I know for a fact that his classroom teacher does not have enough time to go back and teach him how to subtract two-digit numbers, but Mr. Smith could. Like I said, I completely understand why he believes in his Piaget-based philosophy, but there is a place for math speed drills, direct instruction, and worksheets. Research shows that students with special needs need explicit, direct instruction at a manageable pace in order to fully grasp mathematical concepts. I wish I had more time to work with all of these students. It is going to really be hard to leave them behind knowing how far behind they really are. I believe that when students are pulled from their general education classroom they should receive at least a little bit of direct instruction that pertains to an IEP goal, other than a social goal or broad goal, or what they are having to perform on in class. Games are great, but struggling students also need to be instructed on

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

31

how to acquire mathematical fluency. Plus, I am sure that the kids are getting just as tired of playing games and making graphs as I am.

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

32

The Last Day Day 15: January 24, 2014

Some schools you observe in leave a lasting impact on you that you cannot quite explain. There is something about the authenticity of the faculty and staff, the rawness of the students, and the excitement in the atmosphere that are really, really different than any other school. Charles A. Brown Elementary School is one of those schools to me. When Mrs. Johnson pulled me into her office towards the middle of last semester, I had a feeling that this school was going to be one that I would never forget. She explained to me that she had met principal was at one of their meetings, what meeting it was, I have absolutely no earthly idea, but I honestly believe that it was more of a divine appointment rather than a simple principals meeting. She went on to explain that the principal, who was new at the school, had five fifth grade boys who were giving their teachers a rather hard time and that due to the fact that they were constantly having to be sent out of their classrooms due to their discipline issues, they were falling far behind academically. He wanted to know if she had any students who would be interested in coming to Charles A. Brown Elementary School to help tutor those students for a little bit of the day. She told him that she did have someone in mind and that she would actually be there for the full day rather than just a few hours during the day. That student was me. As I stated earlier, I kind of knew the moment that she explained the situation to me that there was going to be something special about my experience at this particular elementary school. It was so hard to leave the school today. The students could not really seem to understand why I had to leave, but I attempted to explain it to them the best that I could. It

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

33

is always so hard to get attached to students, knowing that you will soon have to uproot and leave them behind. I did not know that I was going to get so attached to the teachers and students at this school. It has only been fifteen days. Although it felt like the three weeks went by at a normal pace, I had no idea how quickly the time would pass by this week. I look back at my time there and smile, knowing that I gave it my all. I found every opportunity to get involved as I could, including conducting the Spelling Bee, which I was asked to do thirty minutes before it started, leading the Mars Colony station during Space Week (I still get asked by students if I am really from Mars), leading a technology professional development on Educreations, getting inducted into the National Alliance of Black School Educators, and just getting to know the kids on a personal level. The past fifteen days have been so rich and saturated in Gods grace and His will for my life. I am in awe of how awesome He really is and how He set up this experience for me, knowing how much was in store for me. As I left the school, I made sure that I left a resume on Mr. Browns desk. Although I wish I had the opportunity to talk to him before I left, he was not in his office today. Yesterday, I had my resume all printed out and ready, but when I pulled it out of my bag at the end of the day, I realized that somehow my water bottle had spilled just enough to ruin it. At first, I was really frustrated, but then, I felt peace come over me. It was as if God were saying, Not today. I am not too sure if there will be a position open for me at Charles A. Brown Elementary School, but Mr. Brown did say that if their numbers went up and there was a need for another teacher that he would contact me. He said that I had been an asset to the school the few days that I had been there. I just felt at home there. It is going to be so

Mandy Jayne Stanley Jan Term Clinical Observation Journal: 2014

34

hard to go to a completely different school system with completely different children, but I must accept it and just trust God.